After Shooting, Fears of Traumatic Response in Khmer Rouge Survivors

A student looks for a place to leave flowers at a makeshift memorial for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting at the entrance of Newtown High School December 18, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut.

x

A student looks for a place to leave flowers at a makeshift memorial for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting at the entrance of Newtown High School December 18, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut.

Related Articles

WASHINGTON DC - Friday’s school shooting in Connecticut could affect some Khmer Rouge survivors living in the United States, according to Bunrath Math, a clinical social worker in Philadelphia.

More than 200,000 Cambodians resettled in the US in the 1970s and 1980s. Many of them were survivors of the Khmer Rouge. And many lost family members under the regime. Some of have spent years trying to get over the trauma. Some never have.

In a Skype interview with VOA Khmer, Bunrath Math warned that the shootings in Newtown, Conn., which left dead 20 children and eight adults, including the assailant, were powerful enough re-trigger symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in Khmer Rouge survivors.

“Any event, such as the one that happened last week, or even smaller events, can trigger memories of the past,” he said. “So this is really difficult. It causes us to avoid things associated with that trauma, avoid talking about it, thinking about it, or sharing our feelings.”

After Shooting, Fears of Traumatic Response in Khmer Rouge Survivors i

Friday’s school shooting in Connecticut could affect some Khmer Rouge survivors living in the United States, according to Bunrath Math, a clinical social worker in Philadelphia.
More than 200,000 Cambodians resettled in the US in the 1970s and 1980s. Many of them were survivors of the Khmer Rouge. And many lost family members under the regime. Some of have spent years trying to get over the trauma. Some never have. VOA Khmer's Poch Reasey reports.

Symptoms of post-traumatic stress include sleeplessness, headaches and recurring nightmares, he said. As a survivor who lost family members to the Khmer Rouge, Bunrath Math urged parents to seek professional help if they themselves have symptoms, or see their children or grandchildren exhibiting them.

“Children sometimes become clingy, not wanting their parents to go to work or go anywhere because they are afraid,” he said. “That means it’s time to seek professional help and call your area facility for professional help right away.”

Hundreds of people demonstrated outside Cambodia’s Senate on Friday morning as senators inside debated a controversial new law designed to regulate the non-profit sector. The Law on Associations and NGOs, or LANGO, has been widely criticized by non-profits and many of Cambodia’s development partners, not least because it gives the government carte blanche to close down any organization. VOA Khmer Hul Reaksmey reports from Phnom Penh.

You can say, "I can't believe he's not accepting responsibility for his mistakes. To 'save face' he continues to make excuses for himself." What does it mean? Watch here.
For more videos - go to www.youtube.com/KhmerSpecialEnglish or www.khmer.voanews.com/maniandmori. To contact Mani & Mori - write to them at maniandmori@gmail.com.

Video

You can say, "I can't believe he's not accepting responsibility for his mistakes. To 'save face' he continues to make excuses for himself." What does it mean? Watch here. For more videos - go to youtube.com/KhmerSpecialEnglish. To contact Mani & Mori - write to them at maniandmori@gmail.com.

Video

You can say, "What? You lost your passport? So, you're stranded in a foreign country, where you don't speak the language and you don't know anyone? You've got to be kidding me, right?" What does it mean? Watch here. For more videos - go to youtube.com/KhmerSpecialEnglish.

Video

You can say, "He has many strong qualities as a leader and under his leadership I think he will successfully 'carry out' the new mission and vision for this company." What does it mean? Watch here. For more videos - go to youtube.com/KhmerSpecialEnglish.

Video

You can say, "The visit to the doctor was definitely 'a wake up call' for him. The heavy drinking, smoking, and partying every night needs to stop." What does it mean? For more videos - go to www.youtube.com/KhmerSpecialEnglish. To contact Mani & Mori - write to them at maniandmori@gmail.com.